This pondering was sparked last year when I discovered Spiral Dynamics. In SD there are various levels of ego development / consciousness. As we move up through the levels, our awareness expands. Within each stage we have a different sense of ourselves and the world. We move from Beige, to Purple, to Red, then to Blue. This is when for me, things get really interesting.

The next level is Orange, which is highly capitalistic and logical. Orange is very self-focused. This is where you could place the majority of our business culture.

The next level after that is Green, which is almost the opposite of Orange. Green is highly idealistic and creative. It’s very collectively-focused. This is where you could place the majority of our charities and activists.

Both Orange and Green have their benefits.

Orange is capable of setting objectives, then creating a structured plan toward achieving those objectives. In this way, Orange is great at achieving things. Green on the other hand can take a broader perspective, is compassionate for the needs of the many and can be a great voice for those who cannot stand for themselves.

But Orange and Green have their dark sides also…

Orange’s determined achievement focus has them blinkered, striving for their goals at the cost of having any beauty in their lives. Whereas Green can be so idealistic, that they become ungrounded and incapable of creating anything of lasting value in the world.

Seems to me these two would make great allies! But often they are just at each others’ throats… Liberal versus Conservative. Activist versus Corporation. Left hemisphere versus Right hemisphere?

It might seem like we’re doomed… Or are we… Spiral Dynamics may have an answer.

[ Enter 2nd Tier Consciousness ]

The next stage in the SD theory is Yellow (or Teal, depending on who you ask). This is the first stage that enters 2nd tier consciousness. This TIER is where for the first time, we transcend the previous STAGE, but also include every stage that came before. Before this point we only transcended. At the same time we rejected the previous stages. This time, we can access both creativity and logic, vision and practicality. We integrate our more holistic perspective with our ability to bring a structured approach to being in the world.

But I’ll talk more on that next time…

For now, take a look at yourself and ponder which parts of you are Orange and which parts are Green. If you can see parts of yourself in both, then you may well have moved into second tier consciousness. If you want to look at the other stages, you can read more on Spiral Dynamics here:

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Hi, I'm David. When I'm not working on The Ethical Organiser, you'll find me studying kung fu, with my family or designing a farm for the future. I get excited about self-sufficiency, sustainability and community. If you want to learn more, get in touch. I'd love to meet you to see if we can create your dreams together.